Meet Dr. Kenneth Kai

I have been doing orthodontics for more than 35 years and still enjoy it. Now my son has joined the practice to bring a younger sensibility to the office. I can sleep well every night knowing that I have improved people’s lives by making them more beautiful. I love what I do, because orthodontics gives me the ability to coordinate with my hands and eyes to make teeth more attractive. I am very fortunate to have chosen a profession that brings happiness to me as well as to others.

Continuing Education

I am past president of the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists, past president of the Northern California Edward H. Angle Society, and have served on the continuing education, communication, and strategic planning committees, which all have to do with bringing the finest and most current issues to educate orthodontists to be better clinicians. Since 1979, I have lectured internationally to universities and orthodontic groups on how to deal with severe and difficult cases and create stable, functional, and aesthetic faces, profiles, and dental bites.

In the Community

As a dental student at the UC Medical Center, I was a member of the Christian Medical Society and volunteered to treat homeless people in the Mission District, did emergency care for Native Americans living in the Havasupai Indian Reservation, did emergency care at an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico, and treated inmates at the San Quentin State Prison, all of which gave me experience over and above the average dental student. Before getting married, I was quite involved with church as a youth director, sang in the choir, and served on the church board. I was also the vice president of the Japanese American Citizens League.

Outside the Office

I was born of Japanese descent in Shenyang, China, and now reside in San Jose. Tae and I have been married for more than 36 years, and we have six children: Marcus, Lisa, Cheri, Gina, Alan, and Kevin. We have also had the pleasure of sponsoring two ESL students from Japan: one is now teaching English abroad and the other has become a registered nurse. We have a very well-behaved Shiba Inu, Ajax. I enjoy playing tennis with my family, jogging, traveling, photography, playing the flute, sculpting, and ballroom dancing with my lovely wife.